TWO MORE COMETS FOR 2021(Updated)

Location:  Prince of Wales, NB, Canada

Date Time:  December 27, 2021 1800-1930

Weather:  No wind except for a slight breeze for a few minutes, mostly clear, -2C, 73% humidity.  Excellent viewing conditions!

Equipment:  Canon Rebel T3 attached to an 80 ed/apo at prime focus and with an 18-55mm lens.  Images processed with PhotoShop.

Attendance:  David McCashion.

Objective:  To image comets 19P Borrelly(mag10) and 104P Kowal(mag 11), which were in the southern sky in the early evening.

Report:

• The comets were close together in the southern sky.  Images seemed to show 19P to be smaller of the two, but with a much brighter central region.  This comet may brighten as it approaches Earth.  Comet 104P appeared larger of the two, with a more diffuse central region, and with possibly a curved tail.  It will get very close to Earth, according to its reported path.  Their paths are noteworthy, in my opinion, seemingly coming up from behind the Earth and passing it in its orbit.  Comet images were all cropped approximately the same and had the same settings to make comparison more possible. 
  

Comet 19P Borrelly, single shot, 61 sec, ISO 1600, cropped and processed.

Comet 19P Borrelly, single shot, 61 sec, ISO 6400, cropped and processed.

Comet 19P Borrelly, Inverted image.

Comet 104P Kowal, 61 second, ISO 6400, cropped and processed.

Same image as above inverted.

• The comets were to the left of Jupiter, which was in the south western sky.  Took a wide angle image of the whole southern sky and a close-up of Jupiter.

Facing south, 25 sec, f/3.5, ISO 3200, focal length 18mm.

Jupiter through telescope, 1/8 second, ISO 1600.

•  In the middle of the Summer Triangle, which was lowering in the western sky during observing, there's an amazing double star named Albireo.  An excellent small telescope target.  Note the color difference between the two stars.

Facing west, summer triangle, 25 sec, f/3.5, ISO 3200, focal length 18mm

Albireo through telescope, 5 second, ISO 800.

• The viewing conditions were so good for the entire sky, in every direction, I decided to image the northern and south eastern sky as well, to show which constellations were showing.

Facing north, Big Dipper behind the treeline,25 sec, f/3.5, ISO 3200, focal length 18mm

Facing south east, Orion, 15 sec, f/3.5, ISO 3200, focal length 18mm.

• Many satellites were seen, with a few going through images.  One long exposure image of the comets had two satellites in it.  No shooting stars were seen.
  

 

 

 

 

 

COMET SEARCH NEAR CONJUNCTION

Location:  Lower west-side Saint John, NB, Canada

Date Time:  December 21, 2021 1730-1810hrs

Weather:  Breezy, mostly clear, 0.0C, humidity 64%.

Equipment:  Canon Rebel t3 with 18-55 and 75-300mm lenses.  Binoculars.  Images processed with PhotoShop.

Attendance:  David McCashion

Objective:  To view and image Comet C/2021 A1 Leonard with was reported to be in the area of sky, to the left of Venus and Saturn.  The comet forming an equilateral triangle with the three planets.

Report:

• Searched the area of sky with binos and took many images.  Could not see comet in binos or find it in images.

ISO 100, FL 75mm, 13sec, f/6.3

 

• There was a nice lineup of planets with Jupiter, Saturn and Venus in the western sky.  This made up for the very disappointing comet.

 

ISO 800, FL 28mm, 10 sec, f/6.3.

•  No shooting stars or satellites seen.
  

 

 

 

 

CHRISTMAS COMET SEARCH 2021

Location:  Lower west-side Saint John, NB, Canada

Date Time:  December 20, 2021 1730-1800

Weather:  Bitter cold, mostly clear, hazy, steady breeze, -6.9C, 72% humidity.

Equipment:  Canon Rebel t3 with 18-55mm lens and binoculars.

Attendance:  David McCashion

Objective:  To view and image Comet C/2021 A1 Leonard, the brightest comet of 2021, with a reported magnitude of approx 3.  The comet has recently passed closed to Venus and is heading out of the Northern hemisphere sky, into the southern.

Report:

• Scanned the area of sky to the left of Venus, where comet was reported to be, at first with unaided eye and then with binos.  Some long thin clouds and haziness were a factor, moving slowly through the area.  No luck in seeing the comet visually.  Imaged the area of sky for about a half hour, but still couldn't seem to get comet to pop out in image viewer for a pin point location in the sky.  After star hoping from processed images, and comparing to star charts, comet still didn't appear in images.
  

• One day past full moon.  No shooting stars or satellites were seen.

MORNING BINOCULAR COMET

Location:  Saint John, NB, Canada

Date Time:  December 4th, 2021 0450-0530

Weather:  Very cold, blustery, swirling winds about 20km/hr, -7.4C, 62% humidity, mostly clear, to partly cloudy.

Equipment:  Canon Rebel t3 with 18-55mm lens and 15x70 binoculars.  Images processed with Photoshop.

Attendance:  David McCashion

Objective:  To view and image Comet C/2021 A1 Leonard, which was reported to be near a 5th mag star, about 5 degrees above Arcturus in the morning, Eastern sky. 

Report:

• First attempt at 0450hrs, searched area above Arcturus with binos.  There was some passing clouds present, didn't see the comet in binos, and it was too windy to take images.  Went inside to warm up.
• Went back out at approximately 0525hrs and wind was about the same.  Decided to try imaging anyway.  Images were greatly affected by wind, but the comet does show up, right where it was reported to be.  

25 sec, f/6.3, focal length 46mm, ISO 3200

25 sec, f/6.3, focal length 32mm, ISO 3200

•  After imaging, searched the area above Arcturus again with binos and found the fuzzy, grayish, greenish patch, with a brighter central region below and to the right of the approx. 5th magnitude star.  This is exactly where Comet C/2021 A1 Leonard was reported to be.  We now have a bino comet in the morning!
• Seen one shooting star, almost straight overhead, to the east.  Faint, very fast, heading from west to east.